Show Gives Fonz Some Happy Days

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Henry Winkler gave the thumbs up in London on Tuesday to a stage version of his leather-clad king of '50s cool.

"Hey, he's sensational," Winkler said of South African actor Craig Urbani, who plays Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli in a musical based on Happy Days.

Winkler is a creative consultant to the show, which opens today. He wasn't interested in recreating the role himself.

"I can dance, but I can't sing," he said. "That would be killing, to hear me sing."

Songs like Rock Around the Clock and See You Later, Alligator are woven into the Happy Days plot, along with the show's theme song.

DiCaprio movie brings hecklers

Protesters in Bangkok heckled Thailand's forestry chief for allowing the shooting of a Leonardo DiCaprio movie on a protected beach.

Several activists showed up Monday at the headquarters of the forestry department and heckled Plodprasop Suraswadi as he was making a speech. Plodprasop told the hecklers they should leave the matter to the courts and stop "treating me like an animal," the Bangkok Post quoted him as saying.

Several of Plodprasop's employees tried to attack the activists but were restrained by some of their colleagues.

Environmentalists are suing Plodprasop, claiming the 20th Century Fox production is spoiling Phi Island's fragile ecosystem.

The filmmakers deny it.

The magic was in their act

Siegfried and Roy, who were warned 28 years ago that a magic act would never work in Las Vegas, have marked their 4,000th performance at the Mirage.

The two have performed before 6 million people at the hotel-casino since they opened in 1990, according to spokesman Frank Lieberman.

Their show has grossed $500 million, he said.

The illusionists, natives of Germany who met while working on a cruise ship, started performing in Las Vegas in 1971.